The Turn of the Key

When She Stumbles Across The Ad, She S Looking For Something Else Completely But It Seems Like Too Good An Opportunity To Miss A Live In Nannying Post, With A Staggeringly Generous Salary And When Rowan Caine Arrives At Heatherbrae House, She Is Smitten By The Luxurious Smart Home Fitted Out With All Modern Conveniences, By The Beautiful Scottish Highlands, And By This Picture Perfect Family.What She Doesn T Know Is That She S Stepping Into A Nightmare One That Will End With A Child Dead And Herself In Prison Awaiting Trial For Murder.Writing To Her Lawyer From Prison, She Struggles To Explain The Unravelling Events That Led To Her Incarceration It Wasn T Just The Constant Surveillance From The Cameras Installed Around The House, Or The Malfunctioning Technology That Woke The Household With Booming Music, Or Turned The Lights Off At The Worst Possible Time It Wasn T Just The Girls, Who Turned Out To Be A Far Cry From The Immaculately Behaved Model Children She Met At Her Interview It Wasn T Even The Way She Was Left Alone For Weeks At A Time, With No Adults Around Apart From The Enigmatic Handyman, Jack Grant.It Was Everything.She Knows She S Made Mistakes She Admits That She Lied To Obtain The Post, And That Her Behavior Toward The Children Wasn T Always Ideal She S Not Innocent, By Any Means But, She Maintains, She S Not Guilty At Least Not Of Murder Which Means Someone Else Is.

Ruth Ware

10 thoughts on “The Turn of the Key ”

Dear Mr Wrexham,You have no idea how many times I have started this letter and screwed up the resulting mess, but I ve realized there is no magic formula here There is no way I can make you listen to my case So I m just going to have to do my best to set things out However long it takes, however much I mess this up, I m just going to keep going and tell the truth And so begins our tale I m sure that, unless you ve been walking around with your eyes closed and your ears plugged up, you ve caught wind of this upcoming release, but if not let me give you a brief introduction The Turn of the Key is a compulsive tale of a nanny sitting in jail awaiting trial for the murder of one of her charges The entire book is told through letters from said nanny to a potential solicitor, recalling the events leading up to her incarceration, along with a few surprise notes at the end The basic jist of events is that we begin with Rowan answering an advertisement for a nannying position in the Scottish countryside The catch is that this particular household has been through 4 nannies in less than a year, and the reasons behind this are murkily associated to legends of the estate being haunted Shenanigans ensue, all hell breaks loose, and much havoc is played out over the course of the book As someone who has taken time to warm to Ware s novels over the year, I think she s found her niche in the gothic suspense genre I truly enjoyed Mrs Westaway, and I believe The Turn of the Key is her best novel yet The pacing was 100% what I was praying for, and the creepy elements, such as the locked closet, the poison garden, and the smart home with little to no privacy, were all excellent inclusions and flawlessly executed I found that even the supporting characters, especially Jack and Jean, were just as intriguing as Rowan was My only complaint was with the ending it felt like a bit of a let down after such a large build up, and even though it worked, it felt like the easy ending to take The twists may or may not surprise you I felt that I had most of them figured out, but there were a few smaller twists that took me completely by surprise, which I wholly appreciated If you re looking for a creepy, character driven psychological thriller that will keep you thrilled and chilled from beginning to end, definitely add The Turn of the Key to your late summer TBR Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

This is my third book by the author so by this point I know she s great at creating an atmosphere, a creepy ambiance.New nanny working for a family living in a remote house in Scotland Past nannies leaving after the house seems haunted with its dark history and secrets you get it It was interesting, even a bit unique since the main character wasn t likeable and that the format is through letters she s writing to a lawyer from prison since she s accused of murdering one of the child in her careThe ending was a bit lukewarm in my opinion but I can t wait to see how others feel about it all If you re looking for a quick read for the fall and have liked her other books, I would recommend Thank you Simon Schuster for this ARC

A nanny in jail accused of murdering one of the children in her care This is her story When Rowan, a young nanny who lives in London, comes across for an ad seeking a nanny to live in a remote area of Scotland, it sounds too good to be true The pay is high, the house is beautiful, and the family seems lovely She is warned that previous nannies have quit due to the house being haunted Rowan doesn t believe in ghosts, so she pays no heed to the warning She is hired for the position and packs up her life in London and moves to remote Scotland But what is beautiful on the surface is hiding deep dark secrets.One of my favorite things about The Turn of the Key is the house which is named Heatherbrae Equipped with state of the art technology the whole house runs off an app , it takes on a life of its own Juxtaposed with Victorian architecture and Gothic feel, Heatherbrae adds another layer to The Turn of the Key.The Turn of the Key is told only through Rowan s eyes, as she shares what led to her arrest through a series of letters to a solicitor Rowan is an unreliable narrator and the reader must contend with a lot of telling While this type of narrative style usually irks me, I found that it works in this case as Rowan provides a detailed account of her time at Heatherbrae One just needs to continue to question whether or not her version of events is accurate.There are some twists as well some red herrings thrown in for good measure I guessed many of the smaller twists, but I completely missed the most significant twist And I was looking for it Sadly, my detective skills failed This twist added an additional layer and made me want to reread from the beginning The ending felt a bit rushed and I could have done without the final letter I would rather have been left guessing than be told a less than satisfying conclusion to Rowan s story Overall, this is an atmospheric, slower paced psychological thriller with some intriguing twists and turns I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

4 StarsFINALLY, Another winner from Ruth Ware I have been waiting YEARS for this day Yep. you heard that right Years My first read by Ruth Ware was A Woman in Cabin 10 and I loved it Ever since then I have been continually disappointed by each successive book of hers that was published I was beginning to think she d lost her touch but nope With The Turn of the Key she is back in my good graces and this time it s with a book that is spooky, scary and ominous to boot So what s it about I m afraid you must grab a copy and turn the pages to find out.What I can tell you is that the characters are highly intriguing though admittedly, lots of questionable activities take place Shocking Ha The parents also made me raise an eyebrow.., or two There were lots of twists and turns to this novel and many had me in knots While I guessed part of the ending, I was so highly engrossed in the intricacies of the storyline that it hardly mattered What can I say except that Ruth Ware is BACK my friends This is a novel for the mystery suspense lovers in all of us I listened to the audiobook with narrator Imogen Church who is phenomenal and she truly brought the novel to life If you re looking for your next thriller, look no further.Published on Goodreads on 8.8.19

NOW AVAILABLE I have read and enjoyed all of Ruth Ware s books, therefore I was incredibly excited to be fortunate enough to receive an early review copy of The Turn of the Key Being a fan of the author, it is very hard to write a review about a book that just didn t WOW me This was a good but I wouldn t say great read I have recently read several books where we know what happens, what the big tell is at the beginning of the novel We then work through the past events and how we got to this ending This style just doesn t work for me, I like to feel a lot of tension and excitement in mysteries thrillers and I just don t experience that when I know the ending, it takes that part of the surprise and tension away This may just be me, there are many 5 star reviews for this book First off, this is definitely a slow burn type of mystery, in fact I think I was at 75% on my kindle before I was turning pages quickly There is an element of ghosts or the supernatural which helps to move the story along and kept my interest From the blurb you know that there is a creepy, smart house and I felt as though that would be a large part of the excitement in the book, unfortunately after much is explained about how the controls are all used, etc., the house doesn t really play that large of a part in the story The idea and descriptions of the smart house reminded me of a few other books written about the smart house which takes over , does horrible things, etc I really thought the house was going to be one of the primary elements in the crime, was it Rowan is the main character, the nanny, and I quickly starting thinking that something was not quite right about her Right from the start it seems that Rowan is out of her element and these kids are not at all what she was expecting She is also left with the four children, one a toddler, only 18 months old, alone for many nights while the parents are away at a meeting of some sort What does this tell us about the parents The teenage daughter comes home from her weekly boarding school and immediately begins to give Rowan trouble, from her attitude and actions including talking down to Rowan and sneaking out several times with a much older man Rowan fails to contact the parents immediately as she certainly should have.A lot of the book is about taking care of the kids, we are taken along on picnics and other outings but don t really get to know the kids The only really well developed character is Rowan and I found her rather ordinary when I was hoping for something This is a part where the plot gets bogged down, for me, the everyday taking care of the kids and descriptions of dinners and baths It is pretty clear that although Rowan likes the kids, this isn t something she wants to continue to do with her life Why did Rowan actually take this job then, and was her CV spot on There is a driver handyman named Jack who may or may not be a good guy He is the book as a possible romantic interest for Rowan, it seems every book must have one.I think that it comes down to the characters in this novel I just didn t like any of them I also would have liked to know about the parents, as a couple We do find out about Bill but the children could have been well described I think that Ruth Ware will continue to be one of my favorite writers, this book however wasn t one of my favorites, I m sure that it will find it s audience I would describe this as a well written, enjoyable mystery with plenty of twists to keep you reading.I received a ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.

This is Ruth Ware s latest offering, a chiller of a psychological thriller with its central protagonist, 24 year old Rowan Caine working in childcare in London She is looking for another post when she come across an incredible job as a live in Nanny for the Elincourt family, the parents Bill and Sandra are architects, living in the remote Scottish Highlands, and the pay for the post is unbelievable If there is one thing you should beware of, it is that if a job sounds to be too good to be true, then it is, something Rowan is to discover to her cost At her weekend interview, young Maddie warns Rowan to not take the job, and it seems other nannies employed have left abruptly The Elincourts have four children from 18 months to 14 years old, a heavy burden of responsibility for Rowan, especially as she is left almost immediately as their sole carer with the parents travelling so often, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are a real handful.Heatherbrae House itself is a jarring blend of Victorian with all the tech that makes it a smart home, with cameras everywhere and a handy man, Jack, is employed Strange and eerie happenings create a creepy, menacing and ghostly atmosphere within Heatherbrae, and a litany of incidents culminate in the murder of a child Rowan is languishing in prison awaiting her trial for the murder, concerned with her legal representation, and writing a letter to a solicitor, Mr Wrexham, proclaiming her innocence of the crime she has been charged with and laying out the circumstances which have led to her present ghastly predicament She admits to not always being the perfect nanny and true to form with this genre, she is an unreliable narrator and the characters are almost universally dislikeable This is an intense story of many twists, small and big, slow in pace, and where you are going to have to suspend your sense of disbelief on occasion The premise of the novel held my interest, although this is far from my favourite Ware book Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

Gothic, creepy, a house with a hideous historyOMG yes please This was hands down my favorite book by Ruth Ware All the stars for this one I have read all her books except The Death of Mrs Westaway which is sitting here in my bookcase waiting to be read Up until this point In a Dark Dark Wood was my favorite, but wow oh wow I loved this book.Four nannies in a year, umm okay people that should be a sign that there are some real problems at the Heatherbrae House Granted the house has an extensive history, I mean don t all old homes That is what Rowan told herself when she applied for the job Okay Rowan, you just keep telling yourself that Drawn in by the generous salary and the gorgeous home she decided to roll the dice and try out the job, even with the history of previous nannies not being able to cut it Were the the rumors true that the house was haunted Is that what caused them to leave so quickly Or was it the somewhat difficult children that they were entrusted to I began to wonder if it was Sandra and Bill Elincourt whom appeared to be a bit challenging to deal with in themselves.I tell you what, there is no way I would have spent numerous nights in this house like Rowan did I was completely creeped out as nightfall hit each evening Things were happening and they appeared to be supernatural Given the history of this home, there is no doubt that is what would be running through my mind if I were staying there Add to it this smart house with all the amazing, yet creepy features That would drive me mad in itself If I were Rowan I would be concerned that my employers were watching my every move, meaning that someone else could be too.I have read some reviews that said this was a slow start or slow moving book but not for me I was sucked in from the very first page This was a really fast pace for me and I couldn t put it down I read this late into the night I am really looking forward to what Ware is going to come up with next I read this with a group of fellow Traveling Sisters It made for a fantastic group read.Thank you so much to Gallery Scout Press for this ARC I received via Edelweiss I LOVED it Thanks you to Ruth Ware for another fantastic book

Disconcerting Turn of the Key is an unnerving story told by a murder suspect as she recounts the background and incidents leading to the death of a child while she was its nanny Rowan Caine is the nanny and she is writing the story in the form of a letter to a solicitor, Mr Wrexham, requesting his services to defend her Within the story, there are periodic passages where she speaks directly to Mr Wrexham outlining how her story may be considered and continuously stating her innocence, no matter how the evidence looks As a technique, it was used to remind the reader that this is only one account and perhaps a very unbalanced and disconcerting version, but I felt it slightly distracting on than one occasion.Rowan applies for the nanny position with Sandra and Bill Elincourt, and their 4 daughters ranging from 18 months to 14 years old The family live in a remote part of Scotland in a house that jolts between new and old The Victorian architecture of the building clashes abruptly with the high tech sensor and communication technology that controls features throughout the house Door access, lighting, heating, curtains, music and room to room communications all offer an opportunity to mix faulty operation, malicious intent and or paranormal interference Before Rowan has even taken up the position, young Maddie warns her not to come as the Ghosts wouldn t like it There is a theme of uncertainty littered throughout the story, from the reliability of the accused s narration to the contrary characters and the split personality of the house itself Everything that happens is projected through the house and so many nannies have previously left feeling threatened as the house could be harbouring something sinister With so many flawed characters it often adds to realistic personalities and relationships, but in this case, I found it difficult to empathise and connect with any character as their personalities were all disagreeable and distant.Sandra and Bill are partners in their own architectural business and constantly travel In fact, they first leave Rowan alone with the children only 2 days after she starts Rowan has at best embellished her CV and feels the struggle to maintain the professional image she created and wrestles with bubbling anger that threatens to spill over into how she deals with the children, especially as they continuously test her resolve I hate you too I wanted to scream after their retreating backs, as they padded quietly away into the media room to fire up Netflix I hate you too, you vile, creepy little shits The plot sets up various possible routes and each offers equal plausibility and opportunity There is a final twist that I didn t expect and that deserves a lot of credit as it wasn t even on my radar.The Victorian Smart house, mixed with a dark history, provides a unique canvas to play out a family constantly in flux as nannies are forced to leave until one nanny puts up a battle and a child dies I felt the pace of the book was slow but the main disappointment was that the characters didn t cry out to be championed I would rate 3.5 stars but still recommend the book and I d like to thank Gallery Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to a 4While looking for something else, she comes across an ad for a live in Nanny post in the Scottish Highlands The salary, the location, all seem too good to be true, but she decides to take a chance and apply for the position When Rowan Caine begins her job, she had no idea that things would go so horribly wrong or that a child would die, and she would be in prison awaiting trial for murder.This book is her letter to a potential lawyer She is writing to him explaining the events which lead up to the child s death The strange occurrences at the home, the noises, the malfunctioning smart system, the length of time she was left alone with the children, etc.There are some twists and turns and of course, I had several theories What were those noises, is the house haunted, why have so many Nanny s quickly quit this position in the past, is she losing her mind, etc What is real and what isn t Is she telling the truth Is she truly innocent A child is dead, if she didn t kill her, then how did she die I have to say that I did not see many of the twists and turns coming The second half of the book picks up speed, so if you feel the beginning is slow, hang in there Things do get interesting By the time I got to the ending, I was still guessing One reveal was shocking to me, the other was not But overall, it didn t matter I enjoyed the book It s not my favorite book by this Author, but still an enjoyable read that entertained, had me coming up with theories, and left me wanting just a little bit I especially wanted suspense There is a lot of build up about what the Nanny is experiencing and I wanted there to be of a shocking conclusion I felt a little let down This is a book where I really wanted an epilogue I also wanted just a little suspense here Fans of Ruth Ware will not be disappointed.This was a Traveling Sisters Group Read.Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review All the thoughts and opinion are my own.

A child is dead and a nanny is in prison while her trial is pending This novel consists of a letter she is writing to a lawyer explaining her innocence of the murder and how she wound up incarcerated The thing is she is not entirely blameless One thing is certain if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.